The US Department of Agriculture plans to fund a facility in Arizona to help combat New World screwworm, a destructive parasitic pest that threatens livestock, wildlife and potentially human health. The investment matters because preventing the pest’s spread into the United States could protect animal welfare, agricultural production and food supplies.

New World screwworm larvae feed on living tissue, causing severe wounds and sometimes death in infected animals. The Arizona facility is expected to support efforts such as producing sterile flies, a longstanding method used to suppress and eradicate screwworm populations by interrupting their breeding cycle.